1. The Evolution of
the Dog
R Y A N C R O M A N

2. D o g s a s w e k n o w t h e m t o d a y a r e h u m a n ’ s b e s t f r i e n d . B u t
o c c a s i o n a l l y , w e c a n h e a r t r a c e s o f t h e i r w i l d o r i g i n s i n
t h e i r h o w l s o r s e e i t i n t h e i r w i l d e y e s . W h a t e x a c t l y i s t h e
e v o l u t i o n a r y o r i g i n o f d o g s a n d h o w c a n w e u s e t h a t
i n f o r m a t i o n t o b e t t e r u n d e r s t a n d t h e i r b e h a v i o r s ?
L e t ’ s e x a m i n e s o m e o f t h e r e s e a r c h c o n c e r n i n g t h e d o g ’ s
e v o l u t i o n :

3. Ancient
Evolution
The Grey Wolf evolved around 2.7
million years ago. Morphological
factors and fossil records show that
dogs diverged from the Grey Wolf
about 14,000-15,000 years ago.
Genetic studies show that wolves may
have been domesticated in several
places at several different times or that
there was a major domestication
followed by several time periods of
admixture between wolves and dogs.

4. From Wolf to Dog
M a n y a t t r i b u t e s o f w o l v e s w e r e s p e c i f i c a l l y s e l e c t e d a n d b r e d
t o e n h a n c e t r a i t s i n s p e c i f i c d o g b r e e d s . I n f a c t , a b e h a v i o r a l
s t u d y f o u n d t h a t o f 9 0 d o g b e h a v i o r s , a l l b u t 1 9 t r a i t s w e r e
o b s e r v e d i n w o l v e s . T h e m i s s i n g b e h a v i o r s w e r e o b s e r v e d a s
m i n o r a c t i v i t i e s . S i m i l a r b o d y p o s t u r e s i n d i c a t i n g m o o d , l i k e a
d o g l o w e r i n g i t s f r o n t b o d y t o i n d i c a t e p l a y f u l a t t i t u d e , s t e m s
f r o m t h e i r o r i g i n s a s w o l v e s .

5. Domestication
Overtime, domestic dogs adopted
tame behaviors that wild wolves
do not display. Essentially, they
are adult animals that retain
playful behavior and dependence
on humans and morphology,
called neoteny. They maintained
their smaller size, remain playful
towards humans, and learned how
to read human body language and
expressions, building strong bonds
with their dog owners.

6. Dog Breeds
Some dogs have retained
strong wolf-like traits which
have been bred for certain
functions: hunting dogs,
territorial guard dogs, scent dogs,
and racing dogs. For the past
150 years, dogs have been
bred for different reasons.
Today, there are about 150
dog breeds in existence. Many
people interbreed dogs to be
pure bred.

7. Eternal Bonds
The evolution of the dog has transformed the mammal.
Theories on dog’s evolution are continuously being
rethought, and molecular testing methods are helping
to determine evolutionary relationships and
chronologies. Yet, one certainty is that the dog’s bond
with humans is ancient and can withstand the sands of
time.

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